"Azul." he says my name again, drops his flaming sword, and runs to me.
My mind tells my feet to run, but my body is in such shock that I only wiggle on the ground. I try to stand to my feet, but my knees give out and I fall down again.
~He's coming for me. He's coming for me and I have to get away.~
I begin to crawl away from him, but realize it's no use.
~Where will I run to? How will I get away?~
I need to defend myself. Like what Cai told me.
I search around myself for water, but there is nothing. It's all dry grass and hills of rolling fire.
~What can I do?~
Altan is next to me then. He's on his knees in front of me and his eyebrows are creased deeply.
"You." I turn to him. "Did you do this?"
"What?"
~Maybe this isn't the way he expected we would reunite. Maybe he thought that I would run into his arms or something.~
"Did you burn down these people's homes?" I ask, I point to the hills of fire that blaze behind his army, "Did you set all of this one fire."
"I told you I would tear apart this world looking for you." He says and his voice sounds gruff, overused, like he's been yelling for days.
"These people did nothing wrong!" I say, "Stop this nonsense."
At my command, Altan stares at me straight-faced, but his eyes burn bright red for a brief moment, and then all the fire goes out.
All of it.
The yurts behind us cease to burn and the rolling hills of flames act as if a swift wind blew over them, and blew them out like breath to a candle.
I blink in astonishment.
~Altan is that powerful? He can control that much fire over that large of an area?~
I think about my attempt to move water this morning, and how I could only move a small amount. And then how I'm supposed to defend myself against someone who can set an entire field on fire with the blink of his eyes.
"Azul." Altan says my name and shakes me from the thoughts. "Come," he reaches a hand out to me, "It's time to come home."
I shake my head, "That's not my home."
No. Not after all I've learned about Altan, he's a dangerous man, he's just using me for political reasons. He wants to use me to end a war that hurt so many people unfairly. That hurt my own people, although I barely know any of them.
No. I can't go with him. If I go with him, Cai will kill me. Literally.
I frantically search around myself, as if there is some kind of escape route. as If Cai might be able to help me, but of course he is no where in sight. The only thing I see is a group of horses tied up.
And they're my only hope.
My feet start running on their own this time. Toward my last hope. As I approach them, I see a trough of water and think briefly how I should use my power to throw that water at Altan. I don't know if it's my magic then or maybe Cai is secretly nearby, because as I think that, the water sloshes out of the trough and flies behind me at lightening speed toward Altan.
I use the distraction to run to a horse that is saddled, the horses spook at my approach and dance on giddy feet. I don't know what I'm going to do... I guess I'll just try to escape, even if a whole army pursues me.
I gulp with that thought and look back at Altan. The water is flying around him and he's fighting it, he's fighting it with his fire.
I know then that Cai must be the one doing it, because there is no way my power is working like that. I search for him, my eyes looking all around me. If anyone can get me away, it's him. But wherever he is, he's so goddamned hidden.
"You're grace!" I hear a soldier yell, then watch as they toss Altan his sword. He catches it and it immediately lights on fire. He begins slashing the water with his sword, left and right, back and forth, he hits the water with his sword of fire and the water evaporates at its touch.
~I thought Cai said water always beats fire..~
I focus on trying to get back on the horse, but with all the commotion the horses are afraid and they aren't letting me near them. Not to mention, I don't know what I'll do If I actually get on one.
I decide to give up on the horse and just run past them instead.
~Maybe I can find somewhere to hide.~
I run up a hill and crest it in just a few seconds my adrenaline carrying me as fast as my feet can go, but once I'm past the hill, my hopes of escape evaporate as quickly as the water on Altan's sword. Before me is a flat open field.
There is nowhere to hide.
Nowhere.
And there is no way I can out run an army.
I fall on my knees in defeat.
"Azul." I hear Altan running up behind me, "That's enough." he says, breathing hard. He reaches and grabs one of my hands from my side and holds it between his own, as if it's a leash to tie me to him, "there is nowhere to run."
"I know." I say, and it comes past my lips in a sob.
I cry then. I cry loudly and I sit in the dirt, letting my tears fall into the dry grass. I cry and Altan silently stands beside me holding my hand all the while.
~I've been caught~
I cry harder. If I'm going to be captured I want Altan to know how unhappy it makes me. But then another thought strikes me. If I'm caught then... then...
~I'm going to die now.~